Lernaeus:A lot of celebration on Facebook about Thatcher's death ... which I don't understand.

It's not like she was the current PM, or was planning world domination, or whatever. She was retired, elderly, and marginally relevant in current world politics. So how would the world be worse today if she hadn't died yesterday? The answer is: not one bit.

Anyone claiming her death - or that of any politician, current or former - is a good thing is clearly too stupid to take seriously.

(Note: I'm American and too young for any of her policies to have made a bit of difference in my life while she was PM, so I really don't care about her any more than anyone else. Debate history, policy, or political philosophy without resorting to childish and unwarranted emotional pleading, a large part of what's wrong with modern political discourse.)

People aren't celebrating her death because they think Britain is a better place now she's gone, we are celebrating the hopefully painful demise of a rancid bitter old bag of shiat who deliberately and maliciously destroyed large parts of this country because they would not vote for her.

steamingpile:MyKingdomForYourHorse: Its funny, when most worldly people die like former prime ministers, heads of state, presidents, etc... everyone usually turns off the inner critic if but for a moment and we all do a collective Awe moment.

Here though, its like everyone standing around looking at each other with bewilderment and collectively asking each other "It's ok if we give he a fark off right? I mean really it's ok to jeer at some right?"

Its been drilled into simpletons heads the past 20 years that everyone should hate conservatives and if you don't you are a horrid, horrible, evil person.

They did that to themselves. If conservative economic ideology wasn't directly to blame for the widening income gaps throughout the free world, people wouldn't hate them nearly as much.

But in this case also, people remember her much more accurately than we do Reagan. Reagan was a strong president, not a necessarily good one--at least that's up for debate. In England--Thatcher, like Reagan, did right by her rich buddies. But in England, they know all too well that the majority of the population isn't the ultra wealthy.

Lernaeus:(Note: I'm American and too young for any of her policies to have made a bit of difference in my life while she was PM, so I really don't care about her any more than anyone else. Debate history, policy, or political philosophy without resorting to childish and unwarranted emotional pleading, a large part of what's wrong with modern political discourse.)

Actually, Thatcher's politics most definitely affects your life today, and will for the forseeable future. Margaret Thatcher didn't invent most of the tactics she used nor thought up the ideas she pushed, but she redefined what it meant to be a politician. Thatcher made it OK to not compromise on anything ever (sound like anyone we know here in America?), to use any tactic necessary to achieve your ends, consequences be damned. To never have a shred of self-awareness as to question the path you're taking- THAT is what Margaret Thatcher stood for, and there are so many politicians today who have modeled themselves, knowingly or unknowingly, after her.

Lernaeus:A lot of celebration on Facebook about Thatcher's death ... which I don't understand.

It's not like she was the current PM, or was planning world domination, or whatever. She was retired, elderly, and marginally relevant in current world politics. So how would the world be worse today if she hadn't died yesterday? The answer is: not one bit.

Anyone claiming her death - or that of any politician, current or former - is a good thing is clearly too stupid to take seriously.

(Note: I'm American and too young for any of her policies to have made a bit of difference in my life while she was PM, so I really don't care about her any more than anyone else. Debate history, policy, or political philosophy without resorting to childish and unwarranted emotional pleading, a large part of what's wrong with modern political discourse.)

Go up to the north of England and Ireland, ask anyone over the age of 30 why the celebrations, and you'll get your answer. Ask the miners at Orgreave, ask the poor and middle class that was affected by the stubbord poll tax why the celebrations, ask the families of soldiers who died in the Falklands what was the purpose of their fight? You'll find your answers.

MyKingdomForYourHorse:Its funny, when most worldly people die like former prime ministers, heads of state, presidents, etc... everyone usually turns off the inner critic if but for a moment and we all do a collective Awe moment.

Here though, its like everyone standing around looking at each other with bewilderment and collectively asking each other "It's ok if we give he a fark off right? I mean really it's ok to jeer at some right?"

Its been drilled into simpletons heads the past 20 years that everyone should hate conservatives and if you don't you are a horrid, horrible, evil person.

Its funny, when most worldly people die like former prime ministers, heads of state, presidents, etc... everyone usually turns off the inner critic if but for a moment and we all do a collective Awe moment.

Here though, its like everyone standing around looking at each other with bewilderment and collectively asking each other "It's ok if we give he a fark off right? I mean really it's ok to jeer at some right?"

TimonC346:steamingpile: MyKingdomForYourHorse: Its funny, when most worldly people die like former prime ministers, heads of state, presidents, etc... everyone usually turns off the inner critic if but for a moment and we all do a collective Awe moment.

Here though, its like everyone standing around looking at each other with bewilderment and collectively asking each other "It's ok if we give he a fark off right? I mean really it's ok to jeer at some right?"

Its been drilled into simpletons heads the past 20 years that everyone should hate conservatives and if you don't you are a horrid, horrible, evil person.

They did that to themselves. If conservative economic ideology wasn't directly to blame for the widening income gaps throughout the free world, people wouldn't hate them nearly as much.

But in this case also, people remember her much more accurately than we do Reagan. Reagan was a strong president, not a necessarily good one--at least that's up for debate. In England--Thatcher, like Reagan, did right by her rich buddies. But in England, they know all too well that the majority of the population isn't the ultra wealthy.

Very true. People either forget or ignore that Reagan was the only president to commit treason.

She was a staunch ally of the US when America was facing down one of its greatest foes: the Cambodian people.

When nobel peace prize winner, Henry Kissinger, was organizing the dropping of more bombs on the Cambodian people than were dropped in all of WWII, Maggie was there.

When Pol Pot took power, and some libs got butthurt over a little genocide, Maggie was there.

When the dirty commie Vietnamese army came in and kicked out the noble Khmer Rouge, Maggie was there, helping to make sure the Khmer Rouge kept its seat on the UN.

When America was trying to build up the KR in north Thailand, getting ready to move back into Cambodia, Maggie was there.

The most fitting tribute you could pay the woman would be to wear a t-shirt with her picture on it, and go to the killing fields of Cambodia, and fap over the bones of the dead, splashing the skulls with your jizz while shouting "The Lady's not for turning/"

TonnageVT:Ask the miners at Orgreave, ask the poor and middle class that was affected by the stubbord poll tax why the celebrations, ask the families of soldiers who died in the Falklands what was the purpose of their fight? You'll find your answers.

The miners at Orgreave? The miners who had gone on strike a few years earlier, caused the 3 day week, held the country to ransom and destroyed the previous Conservative government for money? The ones who when closures were announced decided that they would again try and use their power to stop the country functioning?

The miners lost, having started a war that had little to morally defend it. You walk up to someone, punch them in the face and discover they're a black belt in karate and they put you in hospital, well, I ain't going to have any sympathy for you.

The fact that so many of us still have not learnt the lessons of the 1970s does not bode well for the UK's future. Britain is always going to be a "Curate's Egg" country so far as I can see. Like Italy, world class at some things, but overall second rate.

It's 40 years later ffs and still there are 'tards blaming Thatcher for a mess made by her predecessors!The damage was done by 1979, the incompetant previous drivers had f*cked the car and driven it without oil for decades. It was just a case of how painful the repair bill was going to be. Thatcher did a partial stripdown but the shrieks of outrage when people saw the bits of engine all over the workshop floor were so loud it was only ever partial.

They did that to themselves. If conservative economic ideology wasn't directly to blame for the widening income gaps throughout the free world, people wouldn't hate them nearly as much.

But in this case also, people remember her much more accurately than we do Reagan. Reagan was a strong president, not a necessarily good one--at least that's up for debate. In England--Thatcher, like Reagan, did right by her rich buddies. But in England, they know all too well that the majority of the population isn't the ultra wealthy.

Trocadero:She "earned" that respect from soccer fans. Especially in Liverpool...

Um... THIS x1000

If they were asking, they'd be damn lucky that Liverpool aren't at home this weekend.

/Though Everton would almost certainly shiat on any moment of silence just as much//Placing the over/under on "fark you, Thatcher" chants across EPL and FA Cup matches this week at 90.5/Half from Merseyside fans alone

MyKingdomForYourHorse:Its funny, when most worldly people die like former prime ministers, heads of state, presidents, etc... everyone usually turns off the inner critic if but for a moment and we all do a collective Awe moment.

Here though, its like everyone standing around looking at each other with bewilderment and collectively asking each other "It's ok if we give he a fark off right? I mean really it's ok to jeer at some right?"

I think part of it is born from the fact that she (and all Prime Ministers) have such a large personal impact on policies, yet so few people actually have the chance to directly vote for him or her.